What:
Woodland Park Zoo’s Wildlife Adventures Australia: Down Under Discovery Tour pre-trip, slide-illustrated lecture will be presented by Plan for Vacations’ Lilly Handler. Each Wildlife Adventure features a pre-trip education program series to prepare you for your adventure.

Australia: Down Under Discovery Tour - October 9-21, 2005
Explore Australia’s national parks, wildlife reserves and marine ecosystems to search for many of the country’s endemic species. Meet with Aboriginal elders to learn more about the beliefs and traditional practices of this ancient culture. Explore the dramatic coastline at Cape Tribulation. A riverboat tour of Daintree National Park will take you through the world’s oldest living rain forests. Search for tree kangaroos, flying foxes, and an amazing variety of bird species that inhabit the forest. Journey to the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef to explore the world’s most spectacular undersea garden! A 4-wheel-drive and walking excursion through Lamington National Park’s rain forest will take you in search of platypus, potoroo, and a variety of brightly colored birds including the king parrot. Experience the forest canopy on a treetop walk and encounter brush-tailed and ring-tailed possums in the forest around your accommodations at O’Reilly’s Guesthouse. In Sydney, you will visit the Taronga Zoo to meet with zoo staff and learn more about their ongoing conservation efforts. Tour the Sydney Opera House and enjoy a spectacular Sydney Harbor Luncheon Cruise.

Cost: $5,999. Includes round-trip airfare from Seattle on award-winning Air New Zealand. Optional 13-day New Zealand Extension includes 2 nights in Christchurch, a rail journey through Arthur’s Pass to Franz Joseph Glacier, and a cruise on Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park. Cost: $3,600 in addition to the cost of the Australia toure.

When:
Pre-trip lecture: Wednesday, May 18, 7:00 p.m.

Where:
Woodland Park Zoo’s Education Center located near the South Gate at N. 50th St. and Fremont Ave. N. Free parking is available in the zoo’s South Gate parking lot.

Info:
For more information or for a detailed itinerary, call the zoo’s Wildlife Adventures Travel Program office at 206.233.2509, or 206.684.4026 (TTY), or visit the Travel Section of the zoo’s Web site.

Other:
Woodland Park Zoo’s Wildlife Adventures Travel Program offers affordable and exciting opportunities to encounter animals in the wild, explore exotic destinations and experience local cultures. Guided by experienced zoo staff and other local wildlife experts, Wildlife Adventures introduces travelers to scientists engaged in field research and conservation activities. Enjoy the adventure of a lifetime and share your commitment to conservation through ecotourism with Woodland Park Zoo. This year’s trips are:

July 9-17, 2005: Peru Family Adventure Amazon River Boat Voyage
September 20 -October 2, 2005: Migration Safari to Kenya.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission, the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.